#and then they're like 'wait. wait. mr benedict. i think. i think they might have been. robbing us?' | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

sophieswundergarten · 11 months

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I know y'all are probably sick of me going on about Jackson and Jillson. But I was just thinking about their show characterization again.

Jillson is primarily the leader. She doesn't always start their dialogue, but she's the one who directs it. When the two of them are discussing something, she is the one who controls the conversation.

Jackson is more silly. I'm not sure (As has been up for debate) which one is older, but it feels like he's younger. He complains more, overreacts more, and even tends to be more expressive than Jillson.

In situations where Jillson will respond with a clipped sentence and a small smile, Jackson will echo with several extra descriptors and emphasizers. Jillson says "Alright" and Jackson will respond with "Absolutely, definitely".

During the initial tour they take the kids on, Jillson is the one who gives the bulk of the information. Jackson gives little statements that are more subjective, but he allows her to start off almost everything with a short informational speech before he takes his turn.

When they are discussing cleaning the server room, Jackson is the one bringing up complaints about why they have to do it and the way Jillson wants to get it done. Jillson patiently explains why Curtain has them do it, and why her system for cleaning is best. When Curtain tells them to be on the lookout for anyone who might be about to go blank at the compound, Jackson puts his whole body into pointing at someone who he thinks might be rubbing his neck. Jillson is the one who quickly dismisses it, and he listens to her and lets it go.

Jackson lets his face and his posture be constantly in motion. He smiles, nods and tilts his head, shrugs, points, readjusts himself, and gestures much more freely than Jillson, which is interesting because he's much taller than her. He takes up more space physically and emotionally.

Jillson, however, gives basically the same, tight, demure smile every time. She doesn't move as much, and holds her arms close to her sides. All of her movements are practiced and clinical. She moves with an impersonal efficiency, and it doesn't betray much of her personality.

I think it's interesting, because this clearly places her in a sort of "older sibling" position. She looks out for him, whether or not it's intentional, with her explanations and corrections. She doesn't seem to feel like she has the space to be a real person; she views herself as the "responsible one", and she has to stay within those parameters. Jackson is more open with his emotions, and while it doesn't necessarily make him seem naive, it does feel like he has more confidence, maybe because he has Jillson to rely on.

When they tackle Mr. Benedict to the ground and Jillson gets hurt, she immediately catalogues it as her shoulder being dislocated, and while she cries out because it is very painful, she sounds relatively calm. Jackson scrambles to his feet as fast as possible and starts panicking. She attempts to reassure him, but he pulls her up and holds onto her as he goes to look for help.

Jackson is also the one who runs up to Curtain in their final confrontation. He is more impulsive, and gets up to the steps before Curtain stops him and he freezes. (Side Note: He runs like a goofball with his knees really high, but if you look at the scene where he's running next to Jillson, they're going the same speed, despite his legs being a lot longer. I wonder if that style of movement is something he adopted so he wouldn't ever get somewhere ahead of her) And, when he runs back to Jillson, she turns to him like she wants to reach out with her injured arm, but can't.

To me, this says that Jillson has more fear than Jackson. Maybe she went through more things before they met, maybe she got sent to the Waiting Room at some point, maybe Curtain threatened her or accidentally scared her in some way. She doesn't want him to go through what she did, and she tries to keep him in line and calm him when something happens. Jackson, on the other hand, seems to have less weight on him. He is still striving to be the absolute best he can and do well for Curtain, but he doesn't have as clear a picture of what failure means. Also, he relies on Jillson more visibly. He gets scared when she is, or when she gets hurt. Jillson relies on Jackson like someone standing against a wall; more subtle, but still needing him. She wants reassurance and for them to be together, but some part of her can't help but feel that she is the one responsible to make that happen.

I don't really know what to do with this whole analysis, but I was thinking about it a lot, and I wanted to write it up.

#Sorry for my rambles again #I just felt the need to over-analyse silly things one more time before the show goes off Disney #It's not like I'm going to stop #But it is a little easier right now #the mysterious benedict society #mbs #jackson and jillson #jackson mbs #jillson mbs

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thekatebridgerton · 2 years

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Okay, even though it's a very big deal and important to Sophie's character and story, I need more on the AU of "Benedict convinced her that he will never marry, they're going to bohemians who live on his art (and Anthony) and they get married anyway."

oh yeah, I'd love to see Benedict trying out that plan, while everybody else knows it's never going to work out.

I can see Anthony himself with Kate trying to hide her laughter behind him, handing Benedict a wad of cash and telling him to enjoy life with his new mistress "go paint, and frolic on meadows, or whatever you plan to do in this new free spirit life of yours, write to me about how the plan works out, actually why don't you start your boehemian lifestyle by visiting Francesca, you know, our sister who lives in Scotland"

And Benedict being so happy that he convinced Sophie to be his mistress, and that he's finally free to live his life with the wind in his hair and no pressure to be a Bridgerton boy #2 that he just takes Sophie and rolls with it.

2 months later

dear Anthony

I may have punched Michael for offering to be Sophie's patron, sadly Francesca and John wouldn't let me disfigure his face. But I saw Sophie looking at him too much, so if you hear I made him less pretty, it was with just cause. Actually if you hear I killed any gentleman who offered to pay Sophie a higher sum than me to be their mistress, this too would have been justified murder.

love Benedict

3 months later

Dear Anthony

I am sick of this! F everything, Sophie is too kind and to funny and too pretty. People keep acting like she's single and available, just because she's my mistress. I'm going to marry her. I think she might leave me if some idiot actually proposes before I do.

She could leave me and I would die. Also, I think I may be about to become a father because at the rate I'm going with Sophie. It's actually surprising that this hasn't come up. So, that's twice the reason to marry her. And there's that. So the next time you see me and Sophie, she is going to be Mrs Bridgerton, if you don't like it, I don't care.

love Benedict

----

Dear Kate

How do you get rid of a Bridgerton? Really, I thought Benedict would calm down when I became his mistress, but for some reason that just made him more clingy. Please send help. Because Francesca keeps smirking at me and won't hide me in her chambers so I can have alone time.

love Sophie

Dear Kate

Why was your reply only laughter too? what do you mean there's no way to shake him off? you mean Anthony never actually lets you breathe? is the clinginess for life??? I can't even go to Francesca's castle on my own because Benedict thinks I'm going to run away with Michael!! Michael the merry rake! I don't even like him, sure Michael Stirling is attractive and funny and..... Kate Benedict stole my quil now, just send help

love Sophie.

Dear Kate

When I said send help I didn't mean tell the dowager Viscountess Bridgerton to send Benedict a family heirloom that looks suspiciously like a wedding ring. Whatever happened to letting Benedict be a free spirit? why are you throwing me under the carriage wheel?. Didn't you write the book on how to handle demented Bridgertons? I need it asap.

love Sophie

4 moths later

Dear Kate and Anthony

Were married now. turns out that's pretty easy in Scotland. feel free to offer congratulations.

love Sophie and Benedict

And I can just tell that Anthony and Kate are full giggles at Benedict's blatant attempts at acting like he's married and Sophie intentionally correcting people with a 'no, I'm just his mistress' because it would drive Benedict up the wall that people love his mistress so much, because Sophie is so darn lovable, while Sophie just shrugs it off, because it is what it is. And doesn't realize that there are a lot of people just waiting in the wings for this golden angel of love and kindness to drop Benedict and move on to richer pastures. But Benedict knows.

Screw the free spirit lifestyle, he's going to marry Sophie and return to England to be a gentleman farmer in My Cottage who paints and travels with his wife looking for Art and business investments. He can be her boy toy and Sophie can run his finances. that's the life he wants. They can support art and culture as a married couple.

I honestly love this au because I like the idea of the Bridgertons making fun of Benedict behind his back. and taking bets on how long he will last with Sophie as a mistress before he cracks and marries her.

and that's the tea.

#benophie #benedict bridgerton #sophie beckett #benophie au

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newtonsheffield · 3 years

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My brother in law is deaf, when my sister told us 10 years ago that she was going to marry him we felt happy for her, we love him in the family and reading someone made my fav character deaf (Benedict) in their fic makes me very happy, he used to tell that he had periods of time where he felt sad bc he felt like the world didn't want him to feel included, would you consider to write something like that for Ben and Sophie, just Sophie assuring him she loves him? Only if you want to of course🥺

Ahhh I love this!

I'm obviously hearing, and I'm only conversational in Auslan so if there's anything I get wrong about deaf culture, please feel free to let me know.

Funfact, I actually nearly made Matthew Bagwell deaf in Goose but i chickened out at the time because I wasn't sure I could pull it off.

But really, I think people are generally so scared to even try and communicate with people with hearing impairments because they're worried about not being able to communicate, and honestly, they really shouldn't be. Deaf culture is so extraordinary, and it's a truly beautiful thing, and I'mglad to bring it to life through Ben and Sophie in such a small way.

Anyway, let's take a look at this, through the birth of their first child, Little Charlie (sign name chick 🐥because he's Charlie Chick)

Sophie hadn't even really thought to consider, what would happen, if one of their children were born deaf. And maybe she should have. Ben had been with little hearing (So little he'd never been anything but legally deaf), and it seemed likely, in hindsight that there might be the chance of congenital deafness. Surely doctors had warned her, but she hadn't cared.

The only thing that Sophie cared about, was that Ben apparently did worry about it. She could see it, when his hands twitched as he rested his hand on her stomach, right over the baby's foot kicking wildly, a smile on his face.

She caught his attention, touching his cheek softly, Are you excited?

Ben nodded, a bright grin on his face, So excited! I know Anthony's super proud of Neddy, but I'm pretty sure our baby's gonna be way better.

She chuckled, I don't think it's a competition you know

Ben rolled his eyes, I love you, you know. I always wondered if I'd find someone who got me, and I know, people don't exclude me to be hurtful, they just worry about not doing the right thing, but it does hurt a little.

Sophie's chest ached, holding his hand against her stomach letting him feel the tiny life they'd made together. I love you, so much. You're my favourite person, and you're going to be the most amazing father, ad I can't wait to see it.

He smiled, and then it fell a little, What if they're like me?

Her chest ached, Then they'll be perfect.

And so, two months later, when she gave birth to the most beautiful baby she'd ever seen, a shock of sandy hair, wailing so loudly already, she looks at the tears in Ben's eyes and burns with pride. Even when the doctor looks a little sadly at them, after running a few tests and says

"Mr and Mrs Bridgerton, I'm sorry but from our initial tests it doesn't seem Charlie has any hearing, or perhaps very little."

Ben nods a little sadly, his fingers twitching nervously, as he looks down at her gently, Soph, we knew this might happen, but maybe we can look at a cochlear-

Sophie felt her brow furrow, confusion welling in her chest. Why are you sorry? Either of you? Charlie's Perfect. Just look at him. Perfect like his Dad.

And his smile as the doctor hands them their perfect baby steals her heart from her chest again.

#good girls au #benophie #benedict x sophie #benedict bridgerton #sophie beckett #molly's asks and answers

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rosamundhr · 3 years

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Books and Sins | Chapter One [Benedict Cumberbatch AU]

Summary: Katherine is a fan of Timothy Carlton, the writer who she knows nothing about. No photos, no interviews, no information, not even his age. And one day, a man comes into her life who claims to be her classmate from high school. But through the time, she has a gut feeling something is... Wrong.

PS: I was inspired by fictional characters before writing this; Sherlock Holmes, Khan Noonien Singh, Alexander Masters, Joe Goldberg, Patrick Bateman and all the psychopath characters I've seen before. Oh and some books & tv shows. The character might be like any of them so please do not judge. And please read at your own risk as this book will include mature content, self harm, violence and swearing. Thank you, I hope you enjoy it! ❤️

- Rosamund

~~~~~

"Cappuccino please," she asked the bartender, and then added kindly "My name is Katherine." before he could ask.

Katherine... Benedict thought. It's nice meeting you... Finally.

He was just behind her, and he could smell her linden scent. Even being this close to her was exciting, and he tried to keep his hands to himself. Taking a deep breath to stay calm, he ordered as well while keeping an eye on her.

She found herself a table, and put her headphones on. Looking through her bag she finally took her book out. Caged Will - Timothy Carlton. The book looked worn and old. Is this your fifth time reading it? Oh no, it was Secret Caller. Your favourite... You can't imagine how sexy you look when you read my books. Those fingers, you once said they're always cold; oh how I want them around my-- "Are you going to keep standing?" The old lady said with a look of disapproval. He bit his cheeks inside his mouth, I'm going to cut your fucking throat with that denture, he thought but of course he didn't say that out loud: "I'm so sorry, ma'am." With a fake, small smile, he walked towards her table.

"Excuse me, is this taken?"

She looked up at him and took her headphones off, "No it's not, you can take it." she smiled. He just sat down, and her smile faded while continuing to read her book. Soon, she felt his gaze on herself and looked at him again, before she could say anything he said "I think I..." He pretended to think, narrowing his eyebrows, "I might know you... Katherine? Ashbourne High School?"

She was surprised, "Yeah, it's me!" And felt bad for not remembering him for a moment. "And you must be..."

"Benedict. That one guy who never talked to anyone and always got high grades."

"Oh I remember you! Were you wearing glasses back then?" You're a bad, bad liar, my love. But I'm not.

"Yes I was." He smiled cheekily, and shook her hand. It sent him vibrations inside... Cold fingertips, just like how he imagined they would feel. Soft and delicate. No nail polish, just manicured. Small and cute.

"It's been a very long time. Eight years!" She said, still not remembering him but trying to.

"Yes, you changed a lot! You're even more beautiful now." This made her giggle, "What? I'm telling the truth! You were the most beautiful girl I've ever seen."

"Was I?" She smiled at him, and he knew why. She always thought she wasn't beautiful, and he knew it. And he wasn't lying, she really was beautiful.

"Yes you were! Didn't anyone tell you? I never had to courage to tell you that I liked you because I thought you must have had a boyfriend."

She giggled again, like she couldn't believe it. Someone liked her and couldn't tell her. Someone found her beautiful. Maybe he was just being kind.

"I didn't. I wish you had told me, Benedict."

"Well, I'm telling you now." He flashed her a cheeky grin before taking a sip of his Americano.

"So... What do you do?" Her interest was obvious, and he'd seen that question coming. A complete geek, good reader, 26 year old virgin, shy, clever, beautiful. Hiding something in these dark pools of mystery... These dark brown eyes.

"I'm a writer."

"Oh really?!" Her eyebrows shot up, and she leaned forward against the table, revealing cleavage. He tried not to look there, and smiled. "Yes. And you?"

"I studied psychological counseling and guidance, I'm working at a school now."

"I knew you were interested in psychology..." He looked at his watch and quickly stood up, "I'm so sorry, I have a meeting in thirty minutes. Can I have your number?"

"Yeah, of course. Just tell me yours and I'll give you a ring."

Oh no need, I have it already.

He gave her his number and smiled at her. "It was nice seeing you again, Katherine. I'd love to meet up again sometime."

"Me too, Benedict. Good luck with the meeting!"

"Thank you, darling. Have a good day." He took his bag and turned his back, before she asked "I don't recall your surname..."

"Cumberbatch, Benedict Cumberbatch." He waved at her and left the café with a smirk. Almost got you, baby. So naïve, so blind and silly yet intelligent. You have to be mine, and mine alone.

---

KathieD: I'm reading The Caged Will again. My favourite part is when he stabbed his stomach eleven times. He deserved it though! Not to mention that the main character hates odd numbers. He also never revealed his name...

I know, I know, I talk a LOT about the books but you know, this man is a LEGEND. No wonder why he's nowhere on the internet. No photos, no interviews, nothing at all. That makes him more mysterious... Timothy Carlton. We can't deduce anything by the name, can we? Maybe he's a real psycho. Who knows? I wonder if he reads people's comments...

Mr Carlton, if you're reading this, I just want you to know that I love your books! You're a great writer and I just wish I could get to know you in real life. Lots of love!

7.689 likes, 35 comments

Samantha_X: I know how you feel, girl. He's an amazing writer! Too bad if he doesn't know that...

KatherineD: Exactly! I just wish he would let us contact him sometime.

Samantha_X: Same :(

KatherineD: I have something to tell you, hmu!

Samantha_X: Sure thing! X

She was bouncing on her bed as she started telling her online friend. She's been telling almost everything about her life to her because they were like sisters now. They even met in real life and she was her best friend.

K: He was wearing a long beige jacket and eyeglasses, with a leather postman bag, and smelt like mint. Did I say that he has blue eyes?

S: Just your type, huh? Tell me what happened already!!!

K: So he said he knew me from high school, (i'm not sure if I remember him) and I was the most beautiful girl he has ever seen, and he liked me but couldn't tell me because he thought I had a boyfriend! I never did!

S: And then?????!!!

K: We kept talking, and he suddenly said he needed to go and asked for my number. I took his and gave him a ring, then asked his surname, Benedict Cumberbatch.

S: So, did you call him? I think you should, you seem like you like him already lol

K: Not after what happened last time, I don't want to have a boyfriend for a while tbh

S: Wait, you didn't tell me, what happened?

K: Never mind, I'll tell you later... Did I mention that he's a writer? I couldn't see any books online though. There's only one Instagram account with his name but it's private and I'm not sure if it's him, so I'll just wait for his call i guess :(

S: Why don't you call him already? xD

K: I don't want to seem desperateeee

S: You won't!

K: What if he was just being kind? I'll just wait, don't force me >:(

S: Hahaha OK!

She kept thinking of him all night, staring at the ceiling and wondering if he lied about being a writer... Maybe he didn't get his books published yet, she thought. Why would he lie about that? And... He was really attractive. The way he talked, the way he smiled... No, she didn't fall in love with a stranger! Not a stranger, a friend from high school. She couldn't remember him though. Or... Did she? Could he be the guy who never talked to anyone? But no, he had green eyes... No, blue. Green or blue? She sighed in frustration and took her phone, it was 1 AM and wasn't the right time to call him... Not to text him either.

Still thinking of him, she fell asleep.

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itsbenedict · 3 years

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Two-Faced Jewel: Session 11.5

What Does a Moth Sound Like?

A half-elf conwoman (and the moth tasked with keeping her out of trouble) travel the Jewel in search of, uh, whatever a fashionable accessory is pointing them at. [Campaign log]

Last time: the party returned to Barley to deal with a few loose ends while their hired muscle dealt with the biggest, scaliest loose end. Between that session and the next, we had a brief mini-session to wrap up one of said ends we'd left unwrapped- what exactly is up with the Kanthalga family?

(Also included: a conversational omake between Looseleaf and Saelhen, pictured courtesy of @drazelic, Looseleaf's player.)

After their encounter with Kensa, Oyobi tries to talk the party into going to the tower and helping the Deathseekers kill the dragon. Her brilliant plan of "stab it in the brain before it can cast any spells" has some flaws, though, and they patiently explain the plan's many flaws and strike a blow against Oyobi's sense of invincibility.

They also ask Malath a few questions, trying to get to the bottom of her odd discomfort with the idea of the dragon as a culprit and the presence of Deathseekers.

Saelhen du Fishercrown: "When we spoke before, you asked us whether the dragon was green. I regret that I still cannot answer, as I have not seen it, or heard any news on the topic from the deathseekers. But you seemed... concerned that it might be a green dragon. Is there any reason that such a dragon might pose a particular threat to your town?" Benedict I. (GM): "Mmm. I don't know if you've heard, but... going on thirty years ago, there was a town to the east called Grain." "It was attacked by a green dragon, and the elders... as the dragon had words with them, they had to be remanded to the custody of their gods." Looseleaf: Oooh, that is harsh. Benedict I. (GM): "In the ensuing chaos, the miscreants who now inhabit Wheat set fire to the town and fled further east." "The survivors of the disaster fled west, and established Barley here." "If that same dragon still has its sights on our people, we could be in grave danger." "We refused to submit once, and it very nearly destroyed us."

As far as they can tell from their questioning, Malath isn't hiding any dark secret- she's just sort of a control freak, who's nervous that her control over the people might slip. Plus she's worried that if the dragon is provoked and comes to town, she- as the current elder in charge- might suffer the same fate as Grain's elders.

Saelhen... isn't satisfied with this. Something seems wrong about Malath Kanthalga- Thalath wouldn't try to enlist their help rescuing Kensa for no reason. She takes the party to the general store, in hopes of catching Kensa on her nightly delivery.

Kensa arrives as expected, but when she sees Saelhen there, she makes her delivery and tries to leave, rather than sit at the loom as is her custom. She seems afraid of Saelhen.

Saelhen du Fishercrown: "...I don't intend to keep you from your work. Though I did have a question I wanted to ask you, dear. If you'll permit me one." Kensa Kanthalga: "...A question?" Saelhen du Fishercrown: "Of a sensitive nature, possibly. Something vouchsafed to me by... someone you might know." Kensa Kanthalga: She looks less afraid and more confused, now. And after thinking a moment... "...oh." She actually looks a little angry, now. "That makes sense." "He sent you, didn't he?" Saelhen du Fishercrown: Okay, the conclusions she's reached here... may or may not be correct! "Under what I am starting to think may have been false pretenses." Kensa Kanthalga: "What did he tell you? Did he say I was being brainwashed?" "I don't need to be rescued from my duty by someone who abandoned his!" Saelhen du Fishercrown: "More a very general concern for your person than anything --" Ah, there's the word that raises her hackles, duty.

Having somewhat misread the situation, Saelhen is unpleasantly surprised to find that Kensa seems just as devoted to the teachings of Diamode as Malath is, and has no interest in fleeing. She seems contemptuous of her older brother on the basis that, uh...

Well, the Goddess of Family, who's all about having kids and living a very prescribed sort of life path inside strict gender roles, is- as might be unsurprising- a bit of a homophobe. The party never met Thalath's boyfriend (who works the night shift at Wheatley Inn- they never stayed the night there), but there are several reasons why the place isn't popular with the locals.

Saelhen is caught kind of flat-footed here- she can tell something's still not quite right, but she doesn't have the kind of cultural context to unravel this level of baggage.

Luckily, she brought along an ersatz cleric of Diamode, and so... Orluthe is able to spot the missing piece of the puzzle.

Orluthe Chokorov: Orluthe, in the back, has been looking increasingly uncomfortable. So far, he's had his stole and cap stowed away, so as not to be recognized as a cleric of Diamode. He's now taking them out and putting them on. "Hey, um, miss?" Saelhen du Fishercrown: Saelhen... legitimately forgot he had those. Kensa Kanthalga: Kensa turns and notices him- possibly for the first time. "Oh, ah- Mr., um..." Orluthe Chokorov: "Chokorov," he says. "I'm..." He holds up a hand, and points at a tiny circular scar around his pinky finger. "You have one of these, right?" Kensa Kanthalga: Kensa looks down at her hand, and you can see- yes, she has a matching scar. Saelhen du Fishercrown: Well. That's novel information about Orluthe. Religion check to... I mean, we know the finger-cutting thing. I guess a "what does this mean, it's not like these two have disowned anyone" check. 13 - RELIGION (2) Benedict I. (GM): With a 13, you know that only a parent needs to cut off their finger- but you're not sure what happens with sibling relationships. This might be something related- like you don't have to cut your finger off all the way? Some sort of signifier that the connection has been severed, though you don't know the finer doctrinal points. Orluthe Chokorov: "My older sister," he says. "Four years ago. We all had to get the mark." Kensa Kanthalga: "Wait, but..." Orluthe Chokorov: "You didn't want that to happen to you, too, right?" "You can't stand up to a power like that. You'd never win, right? If I tried to defend my sister, my parents would have two missing fingers." "You have to pretend, right?" Kensa Kanthalga: "Why... no, it's... I really...!" Orluthe Chokorov: "Feels that way, doesn't it? For a long time." Kensa Kanthalga: Kensa looks terrified- like for the first time, someone's seen right through her. Orluthe Chokorov:"It's not a betrayal of your family- of your duty- to... have love." "There's nothing in Diamode's teachings about the mark, you know? Neither of us had to take it." Saelhen du Fishercrown: ...well. That's a... new consideration. Kensa Kanthalga: Kensa's on the verge of tears, looking like she's about to bolt. "N-no, I- I really... want to... I have to..." Saelhen du Fishercrown: Saelhen is right back to Steal This Child Town. "...wait, do you seriously mean that the finger-cutting thing came after the scripture?" Orluthe Chokorov: Orluthe nods. "I mean, the finger-cutting is... it's a punishment. You're not supposed to disown your children. It's not like you can do it and then you lose the finger and then you're all square and it's fine." "And when parents scar their kids' fingers to make them share in a punishment for a sin they didn't commit... Diamode doesn't want that." "I should know," he says, gesturing to his vestments. Saelhen du Fishercrown: "...well. Thank you, Orluthe." Saelhen's face is hard. "I was previously under the impression that I had misunderstood a culture which is strange to me." "But now it sounds as if... I haven't, quite." Kensa Kanthalga: Kensa's makeup is starting to run. "What... what do you know? I- I wanted to... if I could've... I couldn't..." "What do you want with me?!" "I had to, okay? I have to!"

Orluthe having successfully exposed Kensa's fear and dissatisfaction with the situation, Saelhen proceeds to talk her around to trying to leave. It's pretty touch-and-go for a little bit, but Kensa's mind is made up when the party mentions that they're going to be passing through Corolos. Apparently, there's something there she really cares a lot about...?

So they're going to need a few days for Kensa to prepare to, uh, run away with a bunch of strangers. That's- this is technically kidnapping, right? This isn't something you should do in real life? This is kind of bad? Hm. Well.

Anyway, they've got some downtime here in Barley while the Deathseekers do their work and Kensa prepares to leave. And- well, later in the campaign, there was a flashback to this time period, so I'm going to cover that scene here.

Saelhen du Fishercrown: So: days in the past (but not many)... It's Cassie Zeishus's inn, and Saelhen is brushing up on her card tricks; she's let herself get rusty, just a bit, ever since she left... Well, since she got to Oyashio, anyway. She's cutting a borrowed deck at one of the inn's tables, downstairs, flicking cards from hand to hand, then up her giant poofy sleeves. Where's Looseleaf? Looseleaf: Probably sitting around outside, doing her whole 'fix-things-up' gimmick! After the early burst of things-to-fix, though, business has dried up a little. There's just not that many broken things left to fix that people need help with after a while! Saelhen du Fishercrown: Saelhen is... bored, she decides, for a reason. She can't evaluate how impressive her card tricks/cheating techniques are without a proper audience! She knows how they work already! So she leans out the door. "How goes the repair work?" Looseleaf: "It isnnnnn't," Looseleaf says back. "I think that there's not much repair work left in Barley at all!" "I've done too good a job and my business has dried up. This is why you never peddle perfect cures, innit." Abruptly, she gets up from the carpet she'd gotten Orluthe to roll out for her- the one from Lumiere's tower. "Boooored." She rolls it up. "I demand entertainment."

Saelhen decides to entertain Looseleaf by performing a card trick... and proceeds to roll a natural 1 on her sleight of hand check. She completely fucks it up, and Looseleaf- who had to be convinced to put money on the wager- earns herself a silver piece.

Saelhen du Fishercrown: "...I lost the card." "So I'm going to have to replace that for Cassie. On account of her deck being a card short." "Your card, specifically." Looseleaf: "Hhhhokay." "Wow, you're actually serious, aren't you." "I thought this was still part of the bit, but, if you're serious, you know the card's on the underside of your shoe, right?" Saelhen du Fishercrown: "I just want to reassure you that I'm good at this, Looseleaf --" Looseleaf: "I thought you'd stepped on it because, y'know, part of the trick." Saelhen du Fishercrown: "No, I already checked there --" Saelhen finds the Hierophant stuck to her instep. There's a beat. Then she blushes furiously, in what looks like actual mortification. "Oh damn it." "I haven't done that since I was sixteen, what the hell..." Looseleaf: Looseleaf laughs. It doesn't sound like her usual laugh, and you can only tell it's a laugh because she's bowled over laughing. The actual sound of the laughter sounds like- trilling chirps with a hint of vibration, a distinctly insectile sound. "Oh gods," she says while somehow still laughing simultaneously, "that was- I'm so sorry about how much I'm laughing, Saelhen-" She's still moth-laughing. "Please understand that your status is no way diminished in my eyes and you are still every bit as much of the cool conwoman you always were in my eyes- oh my gods I'm going to die laughing."

Saelhen, intrigued, attempts to use her preternatural skill at impressions to try and copy the laughter, which Looseleaf finds freaky-deaky.

Looseleaf: "Yeah, if you really want to imitate mothspeech what you actually need are the standard instruments. Your throats are not cut out for the kinds of vibes we naturally talk with." "No offense- your throats are perfectly nice, I mean." Saelhen du Fishercrown: "I'm aware my throat is lovely." "What do you mean, standard instruments? Some kind of... pipe, or flute, or something?" Looseleaf: "The Standard Instruments," she says, this time with an intonation so that Saelhen can tell it's words with Capitalized Letters, "are... sort of like a flute, yeah, except instead of working like a woodwind it's more like, a bunch of little flutes with flaps of springy metal at the end, so when you blow through the flute the flaps vibrate and you get a sound that's way closer to the range of sounds we make, and it doesn't hurt your throat nearly as much. The Standard Instruments for imitation mothspeech." "Alternatively, if you knew spirit magic, we could have just taken you to the Archive of the Ever-Living Voice, but that's not really an option..." Saelhen du Fishercrown: Saelhen attempts to imagine this. "So, ten harmonicas glued together." Looseleaf: "Yeah pretty much." Saelhen du Fishercrown: "...that last comment sounded alarmingly practical, in its concerns, Looseleaf." "Are you proposing to teach me, here?" Looseleaf: "How dare you imply that I would ever let slip the magical secrets of my people to an outsider who knows nothing of our ways or our culture why I am absolutely offended and ha ha I'm just messing around." "If you want to learn mothspeech," Looseleaf hesitates for a moment. "...Well, we should get started by trying to put together, as you put it, ten harmonicas!" "...Does this town have harmonicas?" Benedict I. (GM): This town totally has harmonicas.

So it looks like Looseleaf is going to be teaching Saelhen the language of the mothfolk!

Looseleaf hesitates, though. "...You know, learning mothspeech is- well, it's not likely to be useful, you know?" "There's, like, no chance you're ever going to get to really put it into use with anybody other than me." Saelhen du Fishercrown: "...it is a bit obscure, isn't it?" Saelhen looks contemplative for a moment... then cracks a grin. "Which means that absolutely no one will know when I insult them." "Beyond their range of hearing, even! Oh that'll be such an easy way to blow off steam, dear, I love it."

After a shopping trip to assemble the device that substitutes for having moth mouthparts, they have a nice time bonding over linguistics. Building the thing is tricky, but... Saelhen gets a good roll!

Looseleaf:"...Y'know, trying to reverse-engineer an instrument just from how you saw it once is... more difficult than I thought it would be." Saelhen du Fishercrown: Saelhen expertly pulls two pieces together. "This and this, yes?" Looseleaf: "Yeah, make sure you leave extra length on the tubes- I don't know exactly how long they have to be so we might have to cut them down a little to fit... The day continues. Looseleaf teaches Saelhen a whole plethora of fun insults in mothspeech. Things like, "You must have had a hole in your cocoon while you were pupating, because your brain clearly leaked out during your metamorphosis." "Remind me what instar you are again?" And, her favorite of all, a surprisingly terse noun that apparently translates to "immature child who sticks two feathers on their forehead and thinks that means they have the antennae of an adult."

Saelhen manages to nail the pronunciation pretty quickly, and adds Mothfolk to her list of languages.

The conversation turns to Elvish (Looseleaf is shocked to learn that Oyobi has been being rude this entire time!), and Saelhen's upbringing in Kanzentokai.

Looseleaf is shocked by Saelhen's quick mastery of the language- and of Tabaxi, and Halfling, which are apparently languages she speaks.

Eventually, Looseleaf decides to make a wager with Saelhen. The stakes: if Looseleaf can fool Saelhen with a card trick of her own, Saelhen has to teach her Thieves' Cant. If she loses, she'll have to tell Saelhen how she did the trick- a standard "is this your card" situation.

Saelhen gets a 21, and Looseleaf then has to explain that she was able to track the card via... spirit-linking. Which she then has to explain she's been doing to the bracer.

Looseleaf: "I'm trying to use this as a, uh, lighthearted segue, to confess to the fact that I've soooorta actually had a tracking magic thing set on you, like, since we met." "I'm hoping that's not, un- discomforting for you, since you said, you liked the whole suspicion thing I had?" "But, yeah, uh, I was totally suspicious of you the whole time, and my first response to seeing someone I pegged as a conwoman trying to con the university out of a magic item was, to, put a tracker on the magic item." "Which is that bracer. I know the position of that bracer, at all times, as long as it's within ten miles of me; further than that, and I know the direction it is relative to me." "I'm coming clean because- well, I guess, we're friends now actually, and you should know about the fact that I'm technically tracking your movements. And also because I want to give you the option to tell me to fuck off with that shit, if you want to." "I think that keeping the tracker's still a good idea, on a practical level, though, because of the, uh, use-case, where, a scary badguy chops your arm off to take the bracer, like that way we could still get your arm back and get the bracer back and I'm also rambling because I'm nervous that this is the end of our friendship aha." Saelhen du Fishercrown: Saelhen has gone very still. Like the hackles-up bristling from earlier, except... a lot less movement. "......" Looseleaf: "Look, if you want me to turn it off I'll turn it off!" Saelhen du Fishercrown: And then she very deliberately settles back into motion, with barely even a little bit of shaking hands! Deep deep breath. "...you make a good point. "About the, bracer tracking." "I am..." "Fine, with it." Looseleaf: "Iiii am not convinced you are fine. You seem like you are in fact very emotionally distraught about it," Looseleaf says with caution. "I could... put a tracker on something that's not the bracer, for you to hold, of your own volition?" "Really, at this point, I'm less scared of you running off with the bracer, and more scared of something happening to you because of the bracer." Saelhen du Fishercrown: "...with a condition." "Which is that you do not tell anyone that you can track things, or, if you have to reveal your hand, that you don't tell anyone that you can find me." Looseleaf: "...You don't want to be found, by... something or someone that wants to find you?" Saelhen du Fishercrown: "In general, no." "...I'll tie something around the bracer. Or place a coin between my skin and its surface, or something. You can track that." Looseleaf: "Okay. I'll try my best to not tell anybody about my ability to find you. Except unless I have very good reason to believe that, I dunno, a dragon has abducted you and if I don't find help for you then you're dead, or something like that. Is that fine?" Saelhen du Fishercrown: "That would be fine, thank you. And I forgive you for... the initial... situation."

It seems... Saelhen really doesn't want to be found, by someone. I wonder who?

Still, the two of them manage to talk the issue over like adults, and grow closer as friends- so that means everything is probably fine, there's no secrets anymore, and absolutely nothing else is going to go wrong in the town of Barley.

NEXT TIME: END OF DAYS!!! HOMICIDAL INTENT!!! THE SINISTER MACHINATIONS OF THE SHADOW-MAYOR OF WHEAT!!!

#twofaced jewel #tfj log

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bi-demon-ium · 1 year

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okay on constance's whole story about her parents. genuinely don't know what to think. it's a little specific for a lie--although not implausible she'd have a whack weirdly specific lie on hand--so i think some possibilities include:

against all odds, it's completely true. possibly she tells people this sometimes bc she knows they won't believe her and it's a good excuse to be like well i tried, not my fault they didn't believe me :)

there's a grain of truth to it, but that isn't the whole story or it's embellished somehow

it's a straight-up lie and she was fucking with him bc she knew that story and figured he'd know it too (this feels off but is technically possible)

most tragic of all, it isn't true, but like. often i find, especially in fiction, orphans will either be told or tell themselves the "true" story of their lost parents, and why they couldn't keep them. they're explorers, and it's too dangerous for children, so i was taken from them to keep me safe. they're superheroes, and they knew villains would target me, so they sent me here to keep me safe. they were spies, and it was dangerous, so i was abandoned... like. maybe she read about these people in a book, and they had her heritage or the photo of one of them looked kinda like her and she thought those could be my parents. and it's such a nice story to tell yourself... (this comes in varying degrees: realistically, she knows it's not true but the echoes of it linger with her whether she likes it or not. or, tragically, despite her maturity she's still very young and she clings to this idea to justify why she was abandoned and it's a lie she tells herself that she still, at least somewhat, believes. even if she knows no one else does, that's alright. she doesn't need their belief or approval anyway.)

also whatever the case, if it's true, partially true, or a lie she's telling herself, this might be part of her reluctance to allow mr benedict to adopt her. waiting for her birth parents to return...

although the names she gave... the last name was potrykus, so like. assuming it was true, did she choose contraire herself, then? i mean very possible especially considering how apt it is, but also very funny.

#constance contraire #mbs disney #mbs spoilers #tmbs #mbs #the mysterious benedict society

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bi-demon-ium · 2 years

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ok but now bc of my tags on this post i cant stop thinking about the kids somehow telling him in person that the headmaster ld curtain is identical to him like. forget the context of how this happens there are just so many layers of potential and implications here. like.

i mean it starts with him as cheerful as ever, hands waving and like clapping them together like ah!! ah hello children!! your first check-in!! and they just exchange looks because they know what they have to say and he doesn't. and then like more specifically.

the kids doubted him: theories like cloning or multiple personalities/some jekyll and hyde thing, or suggesting they're the same person, that he's tricked them, or even the implication afterwards that sticky (understandably, but without full context) wonders how brothers could possibly have not stuck together, etc., so like. reynie earnestly is clearly like believing in him and waiting for an explanation with faithful eyes, kate's eyeing him suspiciously, sticky seems extremely uneasy, constance is unreadable and just crossing her arms and like. mr benedict's heart hurts a little because he completely understands why they might not trust him, and he doesn't blame them a bit, but it hurts a little still

and then like. of course. he just gets this fucking. mind blowing revelation that it's nathaniel, of course it's nathaniel, and like. he was already trying to hold himself back in the canon scene with the adults and still lost it a little (raising his voice, generally looking like he was about to have a breakdown, being all tight/tense and talking about how one can never escape the past, etc) can you fucking imagine how hard he'd be repressing everything if there are actual children there? he's just like. tightly slamming that shit down trying not to vibrate with how tense he is because it hurts, god, this revelation hurts, but what else can he do?

(he might even literally be like. okay. i. i. have to go. process this for a second. i apologize. and go excuse himself to just sort of try not to cry and scream into a pillow for a sec. and like the kids--they're not stupid. they're brilliant kids. they can tell they've given this grown man news that's got him on the verge of a breakdown, and they're just like "hmmm". on the bright side it does make him immediately less suspicious because the genuine distraught expression/general distress does not seem like something easily faked.)

and then like. i mean. this couldn't exactly be explained over morse code but does he then have to explain? how much does he tell them? is he more likely to give them the full story--thinking they deserve the truth and trusting they can handle it, sticky or one of the others pushing on the idea they got separated/asking why--or less likely, in an attempt not to burden them with his problems?

the latter might be more realistic but also the idea of him telling them does hurt me. especially because like. a) how would he tell it? can he stop himself from crying? b) what would they think? would sticky still be wondering was that enough, would kate think about how her dad promised to come back and never did (not knowing he was right there across the campsite watching with sad eyes, or right at mr benedict's back with a hand on his shoulder, a silent comfort), would constance--who can feel his anguish and guilt--react outwardly at all? and reynie. dear reynie. this sweet, empathetic child. would he say what i'm still deeply mad no one else said and tell him that it wasn't his fault? is it really his place to have to say that, or is it wisdom from the mouths of babes? like. fuck.

and mr benedict just trying not to show how incredibly upset and distraught he is, trying to hold himself together until they leave, and once they do all but collapsing like a puppet with cut strings, hands shaking and like. just a moment of weakness before he tries to force himself together again, for the others' sake--they don't need as much protection as the kids, but he still doesn't want to burden them, doesn't want to start weeping like a child--but like. also because i desperately want him to be able to cry in someone's arms so like also. bc it's kind of much worse and he knows his brother is just on the island not even far away (OH GOD SOMETHING ELSE JUST OCCURRED TO ME HANG ON) and he had to relive that whole story much sooner while also being even more tightly controlling his emotions about it so like they leave and he just. nearly immediately crumples. like. just. he's shaking, trying to keep it in but he just can't he's on the verge of an actual panic attack and by the time they get him to calm down even marginally he just. can't stop himself from weeping anymore. god fuck im in so much pain

but also hey okay it occurs to me that if they are literally on the island because shenanigans reasons he doesn't need to demand a boat he might literally try and just walk off to curtain's office ldkgjfghh WHICH i mean. they'd probably stop him, and it would still be dangerous to just walk onto campus willy nilly but like also. the image of mr benedict, distraught, eyes red-rimmed, clearly on the verge of a panic attack, just marching onto campus literally minutes after finding out the truth and kicking in curtain's door like WE NEED TO TALK NATHANIEL is both deeply distressing and also very very funny.

curtain realizing his brother was hiding in the woods and literally just now like two minutes ago found he was the sender: hm. you know. this dramatically undercuts the monologue i had planned. there there? listen, please calm down so i can monologue at you. look, i'm patting your back, that fixes "feelings" right? mr benedict sobbing into his hands: ive told you like a million times that isn't how feelings work nathaniel

but also just like. not to undercut the comedy but the genuine like. amount of distress this image causes me. like. he's just distraught, literally about to have a panic attack, on the verge of tears and not thinking straight and just bursting into his office (on one hand the others in tow trying to stop him on the other hand if that's what happened they could probably simply put him over milligan's shoulder (or number two's for that matter) and carry him away + emotional impact of it being just them) like you. it's been you this whole time. you tried to kidnap me, you started the emergency, you hurt my friends and invaded my home, you stole milligan's memories, you hurt children. it's been you the whole time. you never tried to find me, you never tried to reach out, and you've been hurting people. not to mention like how does curtain even respond to this shit he's just minding his own business doing evil headmaster shit when his twin bursts in disheveled on the verge of a mental breakdown guards on his heels

anyway my point is the kids telling mr benedict about the sender's identity in person is. mmmmmmmm ouch<3

#and then catapulting back into shenanigans mr benedict just regularly going onto campus impersonating his brother #they got kate to steal one of his suits and some bad hair gel #he confuses everyone #at some point just. accidentally runs into real curtain. spiderman point of pure shock. then mr benedict books it.#everyone else : HEY WHAT TEH FUCK #curtain running screaming after his double.#the mysterious benedict society #mbs #tmbs #mbs disney #in the woods au

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